A comprehensive national fair housing education agenda must be developed. HUD should use its direct budget authority to fund basic education and outreach materials, written in easy-to-understand language, in multiple languages, and in accessible formats, and targeted to the different types of consumers of fair housing services. Given the variety of fair housing constituents, a "one size fits all" approach cannot be successful with such a variety of fair housing constituents.

FHIP must fund a coordinated national multimedia initiative, as authorized by Congress, for consumers, industry, and the public, which includes messages about the positive aspects of diverse, stable communities and about fair housing rights and responsibilities. It must be developed and funded with a consistent funding stream over at least a five-year period. It must use best practices, be culturally relevant, and address fair housing issues in urban, suburban and rural communities. The products and materials should be developed with input from consumers, industry representatives, and practitioners. Local groups should be able to modify the materials and products for local use.

The FHIP program should not be the sole source of funding for national education campaigns; it is also HUD’s responsibility to adequately fund national educational activities that advance fair housing. A reformed fair housing organization must fund education for fair housing practitioners and industry groups as case law develops and judicial decisions influence policy decisions. There should be on-line information and training opportunities as well as other technological initiatives to advance fair housing knowledge.

Fair housing educational materials should include the collection of existing educational materials from many sources, including FHIP and FHAP funded activities and industry resources, with an eye to using existing materials with little or no modification for initial phase-in. A reformed fair housing office should also take the lead in providing information to non-governmental agencies and organizations to help with education, coordinating efforts to maximize impact.

The benefits and importance of living in a diverse community should be communicated in a wide variety of media to a wide variety of audiences in a concerted effort to influence preferences for diverse communities across the board.

Because disability-based complaints make up the largest percentage of the complaints filed with HUD, and because HUD’s Disability Discrimination Study recommended "heightened public education and enforcement" to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, HUD should substantially increase funding to educate the public, especially the design and construction industry and housing providers, about disability-based fair housing rights.

Next Section: The Necessity of Fair Housing Research